I thought I would share this information about the forklift accident that I found while trying to uncover information about the recent battery fires.

The 2024 forklift accident that killed a contractor is is in open investigation, and OSHA directly cited Archer with six separate safety violations:

1. 1509(a) — Injury and illness prevention program The employer must establish, carry out, and maintain an effective workplace safety program to identify and address hazards. Official standard3381(a) —
2. Head protection Workers must wear approved head protection, such as hard hats, where flying or falling objects—or electrical hazards—could cause head injuries. Official standard3650(l) —
3. Securing forklift loads Loads must be balanced, braced, or secured to prevent tipping or falling. Only stable or safely arranged loads may be handled. Official standard
4. 3650(u) — Slings used with forklifts Slings used to suspend loads from forklifts must meet California’s requirements for safe use, care, and maintenance of lifting slings. Official standard
5. 3650(t)(26) — Forklift load limits Industrial trucks, including forklifts, must not carry loads exceeding their rated capacity. Official standard
6. 1670(a) — Fall protection Workers exposed to specified unprotected falls of more than 7½ feet must wear approved fall arrest, fall restraint, or positioning systems when otherwise adequate protection is absent. Official standard

Say what you want about Archer, but these types of announcements are good for the entire industry. They build positive awareness and excitement about eVTOL and generate a ton of media coverage (local, industry, and national).

The more consumers, infrastructure partners, and cities who are aware of and interesting in the benefits that Archer, Joby, and BETA can deliver, the better is for all OEMs.

We gotta stop hating on each of the companies for objectively positive events. They all need to be advancing flight networks, developing the vertiport infrastructure, and announcing partnerships to boost overall awareness of the sector’s potential.

I thought Beta has barely demonstrated VTOL and now they have an airworthiness certificate for eIPP? I am happy they can demonstrate ECTOL as they definitely have the miles to show it, but please somebody explain how they have adequately demonstrated safe VTOL.

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-first-ever-special-airworthiness

Defense is a quicker path towards sustainable and real revenue. Both showing good progress. And as Anduril continues to grow, Archer only gains more and more 💪

Biggest upset in the VTOL game

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-first-ever-special-airworthiness

Excellent article. Thanks HR593

What do you think?

https://invest.doroni.io/?twclid=25302s6iu57tvkxpv2fps48ki5&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=twitterretargeting-%7B%7Bcampaign_name%7D%7D&utm_term=101926_2MInvestor_S79-M67-1022SPC_P-25_Static_LearnMore_LP-Invest_x&utm_content=101926_2MInvestor_Static_US_FullFunnel_18+_All_All_AutoBid_Funded_Test-XSPCRTG-Type-Creative&Campaign-ID=%7B%7Bcampaign_id%7D%7D&Ad-group-ID=%7B%7Badgroup_id%7D%7D&Ad-ID=%7B%7Bad_id%7D%7D&tnames=referral&utm_page=home

Not bad really

I haven’t viewed their sub for a while, then did a spit-take when seeing these posts:

“Let's be honest for two minutes:An eVTOL that can't perform conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) like a regular aircraft is destined for industrial failure. Archer and BETA understood this and made the right call.”

“🚨Bay Area company's air taxi in final stages of testing with FAA🚨Archer Aviation”

“What if Anduril would want to buy Archer ?”

And of course, these would be incomplete without a Tesla hint:

“Tesla flying car performance —> more eyes on evtol market?“

For the Archer skeptics here, what would actually change your mind? Say Midnight completes piloted transition in the next 3-4 months and Archer proves it can do both piloted VTOL and CTOL with Midnight. How does that change your view of the company?

Let’s not make this thread about whether they can or whether it’ll happen. Just take the hypothetical that they do. What changes for you then?

Would you give them credit? Reconsider where Archer stands against the competition? Would it change how you see the industry at all? Certification and manufacturing would still be fair questions. But which of your criticisms would that flight put to rest?

Some of you are pretty confident they won’t pull it off. Genuinely curious what your take would be if they do

Driving a tractor doesn’t qualify you for a car driver’s license. Imagine a 15-year-old kid who is an absolute genius behind the wheel. He knows how to drift, has better reflexes than 90% of the drivers on the road, and has built a perfect car in his own garage. The question is: will the state issue him a driver’s license right away? No. He has to turn 18.And Archer knew that from the very beginning.

Great to see some real eipp flight progress!

Source:

Joby

https://youtu.be/UHmBjWxO9aI?si=aXiXYciWz5M7e7jA&t=1075

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N545JX/history/20260312/2358Z/KOAK/KOAK

Archer

https://youtu.be/Yzlwe06SRqs

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/bay-area-company-air-taxi/4158723/

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N703AX/history/20261015/1836Z/KOAK/KOAK

Let’s be real—the moment Archer Aviation abruptly shifted from trying to out-engineer Joby to building what essentially looks like a basic, battery-powered traditional plane, the writing was on the wall.

They knew from day one that the "race" to a revolutionary breakthrough was mostly hype. What they actually saw was a massive window of opportunity to vacuum up venture capital, and they executed it perfectly.

Here is how Archer managed to build an empire on Joby's back:

• The Silent Pioneer Error: Joby Aviation spent years in strict "stealth mode," quietly and meticulously building legitimate tech. But by staying silent for so long, they left the door wide open.
• The Archer Pivot: Archer stepped into that silence with masterclass marketing. When the actual physics and engineering of complex eVTOLs got too hard, they pivoted to a much simpler, more conventional aircraft design wrapped in slick PR. It wasn't about changing aviation; it was about having a working prototype fast enough to trigger FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) among retail investors and massive institutional backers like United Airlines and Stellantis.
• Controlling the Narrative: Because Joby wasn't talking, Archer completely controlled the narrative. They spun the story so well that by the time Joby realized they were being used as a stepping stone for a competitor's capital raise, Archer had already secured hundreds of millions of dollars.

Joby’s biggest mistake was letting Archer ride their coattails for so long without pushing back. By the time Joby finally lost their patience and slapped Archer with a massive lawsuit for allegedly stealing trade secrets, Archer already had the capital, the backers, and the momentum to survive the hit and force a settlement.

Archer basically played the ultimate corporate chess move: let the other guy do the heavy lifting, copy the homework just enough to look viable, hype it up, and secure the funding before anyone notices.